Similarities Between The Red Death And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The Evil Inside

Most contemporary authors lack the creativity, or simply the desire to construct a story that focuses on the evil and sinful ways of humans. But during the Dark Romantics period, several writers openly embraced this new style of writing. Edgar Allan Poe was one such writer. His view on man’s inherent evilness is evident in his stories, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Masque of the Red Death.” Although the characters in each of the stories are in different settings, their prevalent trait represents the hedonistic, obsessive, and deranged beings humans are.

In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe wrote a tale about a mentally deranged man and his cataleptically ill sister. The man, Roderick, lives alone with nothing

but his sister, Madeline, to keep him company. “…of a tenderly beloved sister-his sole companion for long years-his last and only relative on earth.” (Poe 418). Roderick is an unhinged individual, fearing his own house and other delusions that manifest themselves physically.“…suffering much from a morbid acuteness of the senses.” (Poe 417).

On the other hand, Madeline’s health deteriorates due to her being in a trance-like state. “…a gradual wasting away of the person, and frequent although transient affections of a partially cataleptical character…” (Poe 418). The illnesses that affect Roderick and his sister are thought to be the result of the Usher bloodline being kept ‘pure.’ “…that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as it was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in direct line of descent…” (Poe 414). Not only has that been hinted to being the origin of their disorders, but it implies that Roderick and Madeline were in an incestuous relationship. Due to Madeline being the focal point of his life, Roderick exhibits more than the customary sibling love. Roderick even states that he and Madeline have a special connection to one another. “…that the

deceased and himself had been twins, and that sympathies of a scarcely intelligible nature had existed between them.” In fact, his love for Madeline is borderline obsession. Some evidence that supports this is Roderick’s paranoia at the thought of Madeline’s corpse being stolen, and him going as far as to bury her in their house. “The brother had been led to his resolution by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased, of certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men…” (Poe 423). Finally after Madeline dies, Roderick’s mental state worsens. His manner changes into one similar to Madeline’s. “He roamed from chamber to chamber with hurried, unequal, and objectless step. The pallor of his countenance had assumed, if possible, a more ghastly hue- but the luminousness of his eye had utterly gone out.” (Poe 425). Roderick’s damaged psyche is the result of the Usher lineage never forking, and hence perpetuating this practice with his fixation for Madeline.
The other short story Poe created, “The Masque of the Red Death,” concerns a plague that devastates a fictional country.

The plague is known as the Red Death and it causes a very bloody and almost instantaneous death. The ruler of the country, Prince Prospero, decides to shirk his responsibilities as the leader and isolate himself and his friends. “When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and lighthearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.” (Poe 447-448). To keep everyone distracted from the grim reality that lied outside the abbey walls, Prince Prospero organized several forms of entertainment. “The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was beauty, and there was wine.” (Poe 448). His citizens were dying horrible deaths, yet he and his friends’ gluttony caused them to get drunk. A few months later, a masquerade ball is held all the while the Red Death is rampaging through the country. “…and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.” (Poe 448). Prince Prospero’s first concern was to confine himself and his friends, forgetting his obligations as a leader; alternatively choosing to

party.
Edgar Allan Poe presented in two short stories some of man’s most evil and twisted qualities. Roderick Usher displayed disturbing behavior such as paranoia, delusions, obsession, and reclusiveness. On the other side of the spectrum, Prince Prospero displayed gluttonous, selfish, and self-pleasuring behavior. Capturing the darkness of a man’s heart is a topic that has always fascinated me, especially if done correctly. I believe Poe portrayed these characteristics excellently by suggesting just how deeply the wickedness ran.